Jaya introduces bill in TN assembly to legally protect dhoti wearers

Tamil Nadu chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today introduced a bill in the Assembly to provide legal protection to the dhoti. The Times of India quotes the bill as saying “Whoever violates the provisions shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year and with fine which may extend to Rs 25,000.” [caption id=“attachment_1652677” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] J Jayalalithaa. AFP[/caption] The dhoti or veshti (in Tamil) is the traditional attire for men in the state. While clubs require people to wear western formal attire, this bill will make sure those wearing the dhoti are not stopped from entering those clubs. This bill comes in the backdrop of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) Club denying entry to Justice D Hariparanthaman of the Madras High Court and two senior advocates for wearing dhoti on 11 July. They went to the club on an invitation to attend a book release function. According to Times of India, this bill also says , “No person, wearing a veshti reflecting Tamil culture or any other Indian traditional dress, shall be denied entry into any public place, by reason only of his dress, provided that the dress shall be worn in a decent manner.” When the issue was raised Jayalalithaa had said a law would be enacted to prevent clubs from acting against Tamil culture, days after the club denied entry to the dhoti-clad judge. The chief minister had strongly condemned the over the incident and had said the act of TNCA Club in denying entry to those wearing dhoti was demeaning the Tamil culture and civilisation. “It is a sartorial despotism,” she had said. With IANS inputs